Where there's smoke, there's delicious
Jul. 2—In the summer months, the measure of a man is counted by the pounds of beef, pork and poultry that comes off his grill.
With the July 4th holiday coming, massive amounts of brisket and burgers, steaks and sausage are being bought and marinated in preparation for what is the biggest grilling weekend of the year, followed closely by Memorial Day weekend — the unofficial kickoff of summer.
All those backyard grill and smoke masters will get a little break on prices this year, according to the American Farm Bureau.
They say prices have fallen slightly from record highs in 2022. Families will on average pay just under $68 to host an Independence Day cookout with 10 family members or friends. But that cost is still 14% higher than just two years ago, before grocery, meat and poultry prices began to soar.
The Farm Bureau says the high prices at grocery and meat markets don't necessarily transfer to what farmers get. Farmers' share of the retail food dollar is just 14% and they have seen their costs for everything from fuel to fertilizer go higher.
While some foods, including hamburger buns have increased compared to 2022, the price of items such as chicken breasts and eggs have fallen.
Grilling and smoking meats went from something that used to be done relatively sparingly, maybe on an occasional Sunday afternoon, to something now done regularly in backyards everywhere.
The backyard pastime really took off during the pandemic, with 14 million grills and smokers sold in a 12-month period of 2020 and 2021.
With a growing array of grills and smokers, there is always a new toy to buy. The variety of choices include charcoal grills, gas grills and smokers that use pellets or wood or are fueled by electric heat that generates smoke from wood chips.
Cooking meats with fire undoubtedly dates to about 7,000 years ago, when early man figured out how to start and control fire.
Those nomadic hunters probably started to try impressing their buddies with new cooking techniques as they refined their skills. And they were, no doubt, told by their wives to cook some vegetables, too, and not just large hunks of red meat.
The beginning of grilling goes back to the 1500s when a Caribbean Indian tribe called the Taino began grilling meats on a raised wooden platform, a method called barbacoa. Spanish explorers picked up the idea and barbecue was born.
There is nothing that matches grilling over a wood fire. Piling firewood in a fire pit and waiting for it to burn down to the perfect glowing pile of embers, then slowly cooking meats and poultry on a grill above, without burning it to a crisp from flare-ups. It's a satisfying experience that gives a special kind of wood-smoke flavor.
A guy named Ellsworth B.A. Zwoyer in 1897 gave grilling its biggest boost when he was the first to patent a design for charcoal briquettes. But it was the Kingsford company that became most associated with grilling. The company was created by Henry Ford, who was always looking for ways to make more money. Rather than throwing out or burning the wood scraps from the assembly line of his car factory, Ford used the scraps and sawdust to create and sell as charcoal.
No matter how you do it, from primitive wood fires to high-tech smoker or grill, it's a holiday backyard tradition to enjoy.
And don't forget to throw some veggies on the grill.
Tim Krohn can be contacted at tkrohn@mankatofreepress.com or 507-720-1300.
